UFC 291 | Pro fighters make their picks for Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira

By Cole Shelton - July 27, 2023

In the co-main event of UFC 291, Jan Blachowicz is set to welcome former middleweight champion Alex Pereira to the light heavyweight division. It’s a fight the Pole asked for and heading into the scrap, Blachowicz is a -122 favorite while the Brazilian is a -102 underdog on FanDuel.

Jan Blachowicz and Alex Pereira

Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros lean towards Blachowicz getting the job done at UFC 291. The pros expect Blachowicz to use his size to wrestle Pereira and get the win.

BJPENN.com Fighter Picks Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira:

Stephen Thompson, UFC welterweight: I’ll go with Blachowicz because he is so big and I think he can outwrestle Pereira at 205.

Chris Duncan, UFC lightweight: Jan Blachowicz. Probably just outwrestles Pereira similar to what he did against Adesanya.

Kyle Nelson, UFC featherweight: I’m thinking Pereira, I think he will have the size and strength to stop the takedowns, which is where Izzy ran into trouble with Jan. Striking-wise, Pereira will be way better and has the power to KO Jan, so it just comes down to if he can stop the takedowns which I think he can. Pereira by second-round knockout.

Grant Dawson, UFC lightweight: Jan Blachowicz will just wrestle him and get a decision or stoppage on the ground.

Shannon Ross, UFC flyweight: It’s an interesting fight with Alex moving up to 205lbs to see how he fares without the weight cut. It’s a good fight, I think Blachowicz due to his size and wrestling.

Max Griffin, UFC welterweight: Man, that fight I am very excited about. I think Jan Blachowicz gets him down and gets a stoppage on the mat.

Modestas Bukauskas, UFC light heavyweight: It’s an interesting one because Blachowicz has the grappling advantage so I do think Blachowicz gets the win using his wrestling.

Terrance McKinney, UFC lightweight: Alex Pereira does look like he is going up in weight the right way so I think he knocks out Blachowicz.

Kamuela Kirk, UFC lightweight: I think with the wrestling advantage I have to take Blachowicz but Pereira has that death touch.

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Fighters picking Jan Blachowicz: Stephen Thompson, Chris Duncan, Grant Dawson, Shannon Ross, Max Griffin, Modestas Bukauskas, Kamuela Kirk.

Fighters picking Alex Pereira: Kyle Nelson, Terrance McKinney.

ICYMI: Pro fighters also made their picks for Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2.


Topics:

Alex Pereira Exclusive MMA Interviews Jan Blachowicz UFC UFC 291